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Occupy L.A.: A portrait of the arrested protesters

December 2, 2011 | 8:44
am

The nearly 300 protesters arrested as part of the Occupy L.A. eviction from City Hall skewed young, white and male, but included a wide spectrum of races and ages, an analysis of Los Angeles Police Department records showed.

The arrestees mostly came from the Los Angeles area.

The arrest records show that the median age of the group is 26, and men outnumber women nearly 3-to-1. Forty-eight are not old enough to legally drink alcohol. The oldest, 79-year-old Dorothy Sarnoff of Highland Park, turned 21 during the Eisenhower administration.

Most were local, although 20 arrestees told police they live outside the state, listing hometowns as far away as Roopville, Ga., and Ithaca, N.Y.

No occupation was reported for about 100 arrestees. Others listed various jobs, including actor, architect, barista, pizza deliveryman, poet and taxi driver.

Twenty-eight-year-old Christopher French was among them. He was taken into custody for remaining in City Hall park even after police issued a dispersal order early Wednesday. He was holding a white rose in his hand — a scene captured by several photographers.

French said he was released from jail after a sympathetic bail commissioner reduced his bail. He has been given a Jan. 5 trial date. He complained about the way protesters were treated after they were arrested, saying he and others were kept in plastic handcuffs for seven hours.

In the days since their eviction, protesters have collected money for a bail fund. At least one protester, 35-year-old Tyson Header, was charged with battery and assault on a peace officer after he allegedly spit on an officer during his arrest, according to records.

More than 200 people arrested during the Occupy L.A. sweep remained in jail Thursday night, drawing protests from civil right attorneys who said many may not face charges and should be freed immediately.

Most of those arrested ultimately will qualify for the diversion program and will not face charges, she predicted. The arrestees face potential charges of failure to disperse and, in a few cases, resisting arrest. They faced a minimum bail of $5,000. About 40 had been bailed out Thursday.

Photo: Activist Chris Devcich, right, speaks Thursday as Doug Kauffman, left, listens on the north steps of Los Angeles City Hall. They are activists who were arrested during the Occupy Los Angeles closure and have been released. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times